Human resources training. Many competitiveness gaps in service quality are usually due to HR training deficiencies. Identifying these competencies gaps with precision is therefore necessary to overcome this challenge. This should be a responsibility of those in charge of the monitoring system, to track the evolution of HR training needs, by surveying executives on their employees’ training needs. The support of foreign experts may be also necessary.

Such training needs may correspond either to higher educational programs (University level) or professional training programs (Professional schools). Sometimes it may be needed to improve the existing programs including new competencies and knowledge, but in other cases it may be necessary to create brand new programs. In this regard, the availability of the target users should be carefully assessed, to consider the convenience of programming also distance learning versions of the same program when possible, and to determine the courses schedules to make them compatible with the professionals working ones.

Moreover, it may be convenient to consider subsidizing language courses or creating free and engaging language courses through radio or TV channels for the locals to improve their language skills, in order to communicate and connect better with the tourists. In relation with the aforementioned hospitality, this would help also enhancing the visitor experience.

Accommodation upgrade and development. In accordance with the desired development and expected growth, the new strategic positioning or new segmentation, it may be convenient to attract new investors to develop new hotels, to upgrade the category level of the existing ones, or to convert them into new concept accommodation facilities.

When upgrading accommodation facilities, the strategies to follow are implementing quality certifications and upgrading the international star based rating. These are to ensure certain quality standards related to the provided service and the procedures. Such implementation could be incentivized in many ways: preferential position in the DMO marketing activities and materials, fiscal incentives, soft credits, partial subsidy, etc.

In the cases when the destination reshapes the segmentation strategy –focusing the attention on new specific targets, with special needs-, the implementation of a Brand label system is the most appropriate solution. There could be brand labels for families, singles, GLBT, Chinese (food), people with food constraints (gluten intolerants, diabetics, etc.), vegans & vegetarians, etc.

Posted by Jordi Pera

Jordi Pera is an economist passionate about tourism, strategy, marketing, sustainability, business modelling and open innovation. He has international experience in marketing, intelligence research, strategy planning, business model innovation and lecturing, having developed most of his career in the tourism industry.
Jordi is keen on tackling innovation and strategy challenges that require imagination, entail thoughtful analysis and are to be solved with creative solutions.